By the end of this year, Fannie will have sent a cumulative total of $113.9 billion in dividend payments to the U.S. Treasury Department. That figure covers payments made since 2008, and represents about 98% of $116.1 billion requested between 2008 and 2011 to shore up Fannie’s finances.

Elsewhere, sister firm Freddie Mac said it will have a sent a cumulative total of $71.3 billion to Treasury by the end of this year, very slightly exceeding its draws.In total, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch calculations, the two firms are just $2 billion short of repaying what they drew down from the government.

It’s just a symbolic milestone — Fannie and Freddie will continue to send Treasury most of their profits. There isn’t a way in current law for the two firms to get out from government control.

It should be noted that a large chunk of the dividends sent to Treasury – a total of about $75 billion between Fannie and Freddie – is due to income-tax benefits that the firms were able to take because of improving profits, among other factors.

However, recent profit levels likely won’t last as home-price growth moderates and the firms’ regulator directs their portfolios to contract, among other factors. In addition, volatile mortgage rates could hit results.

Still, for now, there’s some concern that profits at Fannie and Freddie will cut the urgency in Washington to reform the nation’s housing-finance system. A bipartisan group of senators is looking to wind down the government-sponsored enterprises. But five years after Fannie and Freddie were placed into conservatorship there still isn’t consensus in Congress on the role that the government should play in housing finance.